Jordan: Political Activist Facing Trial Before Military Court for Facebook Post: Ayman Sanduka

On 21 December 2023, the Jordanian authorities arrested Ayman Sanduka, political activist and mathematics professor, in relation to a Facebook post addressed to the King in October 2023 in which he criticized Jordan’s diplomatic relations with Israel. On 12 February 2024, a prosecutor at the State Security Court, an exceptional military court, charged Ayman Sanduka with “incitement to oppose the political regime”, under article 149 of the Penal Code. Ayman Sanduka’s next hearing before the SSC is scheduled for 26 March. The Jordanian authorities must drop all charges and immediately and unconditionally release Ayman Sanduka as he is being prosecuted solely for exercising his right to freedom of expression.